When Margaret, a 51-year-old Macomb woman, learned in April last year that she had breast cancer, it wasn't the diseases itself that scared her.

"The worst thing I heard was that I was going to have (chemotherapy)," said Margaret, who chose not to have her real name. "Not breast cancer, chemo. And the best thing I heard (was) when my doctor told me I didn't need chemo. Chemo is what scared me the most."

Margaret's cancer was eventually treated with a lumpectomy on her left breast and six weeks of radiation therapy. She also joined a Look Good Feel Better program at McDonough District Hospital for a boost of self-esteem.

The Look Good Feel Better program, which helps women living with cancer manage their appearance during and post-treatment, is a free program offered through the American Cancer Society. This year marks the program's 25th anniversary.

The Look Good Feel Better program is offered at McDonough District Hospital six times per year, or every other month. The two-hour program is open any woman diagnosed with any type of cancer.

A specially-trained cosmetologist guides participants through selecting a wig, applying makeup and using skin care products to improve the appearance of skin changed by cancer. Makeup kits donated by cosmetics companies are provided to each woman at no cost.

"When they walk in, they may lack confidence," said Diane Tate, a health educator at MDH, "but we haven't ever had anyone who hasn't left absolutely glowing. This is one program we feel every woman who has been diagnosed with cancer would benefit from."

When Margaret joined the Look Good Feel Better program, she was uncertain if she would need chemotherapy and lose her hair as a result.

"We tried on wigs and we tried on hats," she recalled. "At the time, I though I was going to have to get chemo. We ordered a wig, we put makeup on and showed us how to tie scarves. They taught us how to draw eyebrows, because many people who go through chemo lose their eyebrows as well."

While she eventually didn't need one, just learning about wigs helped Margaret gain confidence for whatever was ahead. The support from others, she said, going through cancer was helpful, too.

Sandy Campbell, a cosmetologist based in Roseville, has been teaching Look Good Feel Better classes in Macomb and Galesburg for 17 years. She got involved with the program after son Doug died from Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 1992 at age 15.

Campbell was moved by the outpouring of kindness and support Doug received during his battle with the disease.

"People were so good him that I wanted to give something back," Campbell said.

The Look Good Feel Better classes give Campbell a chance to pay it forward, she said.

Page 2 of 2 - "I think it raises their self-esteem," she said of the program. "When they come in, they're very self-conscious most of the time. When they leave, they are just beaming."

Campbell recalled one woman who enrolled in the Look Good Feel Better program after going through cancer for the fifth time.

"When she arrived she was really down, but when she left her makeup looked beautiful and we sent her home in a red wig," Campbell said. "She was just beaming ear to ear."

Claire Sharp is a specialist in mission delivery for the American Cancer Society and oversees the Macomb program. She said about 15 women have taken the class at MDH over the past year.

"I see a new confidence," she remarked on the women who enroll in the program. "I see a new woman who's prepared to accept how the cancer treatments might impact her appearance. We always say that cancer can rob a woman of her energy, her appetite and strength. It doesn't have to take away her confidence."

A Look Good Feel Better program will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Monday at the Illinois Cancer Center, 834 N. Seminary St. in Galesburg. To register, call 309-688-3480.

The next Look Good Feel Better class at McDonough District Hospital is scheduled for 4 to 6 p.m. on Monday, July 21. To enroll, contact MDH Outreach Services at 309-836-1584.

Information about the program can be found at www.lookgoodfeelbetter.org.

Reach Lainie Steelman via email at lsteelman@McDonoughVoice.com, or follow her on Twitter @LainieSteelman.